Sunday, July 26, 2009
..:: Learn To Be A Winner Everyday, In Every Situation ::..
In any competition, what is it that makes a winner stand out from the rest and walk away with the spoils? Think and you will realise there is a big lesson to be learnt here. There is an intangible asset that makes all the difference in the world, between the ordinary and the exceptional. Waiting to get your hands on that asset? For one thing you do not have far to search, it is right there within you. All that you have to do is bring it out consciously.
Identify winning traits and try to adopt them
Read about and talk to those who you see winning. Analyse their attitude and behaviour and compare it with what you yourself would do in a similar situation. Pinpoint how by doing things differently you can make that difference between losing and winning.
Let us take an example here. Chaya came away from a presentation she had made, feeling that hardly anybody had listened to her. The person giving the next presentation, however, was asked a lot of questions and his presentation ended with a resounding applause. She did not let the situation bog her down. Instead of feeling despondent and jealous, she managed to rise above herself, identified the strong points of his presentation and tried to change the way she did hers. She practised at home in front of the mirror and co-operative friends. Her next presentation did definitely go off well and as a result of all the practice she found herself speaking out more often and more confidently in public.
A powerful tool
The human mind is a very powerful tool and the best thing about it is that it is at our disposal to make use of whenever we want. Properly routed, thought processes can be an effective learning experience. Chaya's conscious choice of appreciating and learning from her more successful colleague made all the difference. Had she reacted differently, in a negative way, she would have ended up feeling miserable and as a result the quality of her personal and professional life would have suffered.
Be open minded enough to admit that there is always room for personal improvement and growth. And any positive change will automatically reflect positively on all facets of your life.
Impediments to success
Distraction from the goal is the major cause that hampers success. Train your mind to focus on the goal. Remember if you are unable to concentrate while studying for an exam it is your fault not the fault of the person who may be playing loud music. Are you not able to read a suspense thriller on a train with all its accompanying noises? Why then does a bit of loud music take your thoughts away from the task in hand. The answer is simple รข€" the amount of interest you had in the suspense thriller was much more than what you have for your studies.
Stop and think, aren't exams important? Is it not imperative that you do well in it? Make attempts at studying well. Use techniques like splitting your lesson into parts and 'conquering' one part at a time. Focusing on your task and becoming so involved in it will make you totally oblivious to any amount of music being played. Tune out distractions. Did you know that this is a part of the training that athletes training for sports events undergo. They have to perform in front of huge crowds. They train themselves to not let the crowd distract them. They focus on the task ahead of them and the best one wins. Do you find the prospect daunting? Go in for some specialised training, where such concentration techniques are taught. It is never too late to learn.
The power of visualisation
Positive thoughts are very important in taking you on the right path to success. Our mind is capable of visualising almost anything. Capitalise on this and begin visualising success for yourself. Let the image of you as the winner be your inspiration and guiding thought. This is a technique that participants of sports meets often use. Canadian swimmer Mark Tewksbury admits to having used it often and the result? A cache of medals.
Experts say that the more detailed your visualisation, the better is its effect. Visualise your actions leading to success. Visualise expressions, your feelings and even the responses of those around you. Does not day dreaming about something pleasant leave you feeling good? This will have the same effect. Actually it will fetch you the desired effect, as this is conscious day dreaming. This structured 'rehearsal' of a series of events can be as effective as rehearsing for real. You may even imagine obstacles and see yourself overcoming them. This will prepare you for handling obstacles when you are actually performing the task.
Always remember that winners are not necessarily people with better skills, but people who put their skills to better use. The effort to do your best counts and can make all the difference between winning and losing.
